FLANNERY O’CONNOR (1925-1964) Early Life • Mary Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia.

• Attended college at Georgia State College for Women. There, she was an editor for the school’s literary magazine, the Corinthian.

• In 1945, O’Connor received a scholarship from University of Iowa. She entered the master’s program in creative writing.

• O’Connor’s thesis for her master’s was a collection of short stories, . One of the stories included in the thesis, “,” displays her use of local dialects and irony – something she was famous for later on in her career. Career • In 1952, O’Connor published her first novel, , and in 1960, she published her second novel, . They both showcased her black-humor and sharply honed style. • O’Connor also used violence and shock tactics in her writing as well as comedy and irony. • Some of her influences were writers including, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Joseph Conrad and Katherine Porter as well as French writers like Georges Bernanos and François Mauriac. They reinforced her emphasis on original sin, guilt, and alienation. • O’Connor was a Roman Catholic and some of her writing included religious concerns. • In 1955, she released a collection of short stories entitled A Good Man Is Hard to Find. This included stories like “,” “,” and “.” Subjects featured in the stories range from greed, exploitation and Catholicism. Later In Life… • Unfortunately, O’Connor was struck with the incurable disease, Lupus in 1950. • Despite of the debilitating effects of the steroid drugs used to treat the disease, O’Connor managed to devote parts of her day to writing. • During this time she won a number of awards including grants from the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the Ford Foundation, a fellowship from the Kenyon Review, and several O. Henry awards. • Sadly, on August 3 1964, she died after several days in a coma. She was just 39. • The Atlanta Journal said O’Connor’s “deep spirituality qualified her to speak with a forcefulness not often matched in American literature.” A Couple “Fun Facts” • Flannery O’Connor lived the last years of her life surrounded by peacocks. Yes, she estimated that she had about 40 on her dairy farm. • She would send the discarded tail feathers to her friends and giving them to ladies to decorate their hats with. • You can also buy stamps with Flannery O’Connor at USPS! Sources • Eby, Margaret. "Flannery O'Connor and Her Peacocks." NY Daily News. N.p., 9 Aug. 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.

• Gordon, Sarah. "Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964)." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 08 June 2015. Web. 02 November 2015.

• Levine, Robert. "Flannery O'Connor." Norton Anthology of American Literature. By Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. E. NY: W.W. Norton, n.d. 436-37. Print.